Channel Master/Laminas 1.8m project

[Captain Jack]

So - a concrete base then? NPRM bolted down to it along with paving slabs on top? Won't be going anywhere then. NPRM itself weighs a tonne...

 

[Lazarus]

Paving slabs or sandbags.

I used sandbags for supplementary ballast when my TD110 was in use. Two was insufficient, but four did the trick nicely.

Needed occasional replacement as the plastic used to denature and split after a couple of years.

Marginally more portable than slabs, but that probably doesn't matter in your case.

 

[Archive-8]

Your nprm sounds like mine, I have 4 paving slabs and 6 bags of ballast on top, to hold the Gibertini 1.5. 99% of the time that is sufficient, but the last storm had moved my base.

So at sone point I have to go and re align it.

 

[Captain Jack]

The dish arrived today - quite happy with it. Very light and is far more sturdier than it looks. Though that lack of fibre-glass webbing probably makes it less so than the CM. Much happier to stick this on the 1224...

 

[scopus]

Exciting times ahead Alex!

 

[PaulR]

Looking forward to your regular reports Alex.

 

[Archive-8]

Can't wait to see some photos, (ps, how are you feeling today?)

 

[Archive4]

The dish arrived today - quite happy with it. Very light and is far more sturdier than it looks. Though that lack of fibre-glass webbing probably makes it less so than the CM. Much happier to stick this on the 1224...

They are far tougher than they look, the bottom support arm is over-engineered in my opinion, but could hold a small elephant! Well, at least 25 lnb´s on any bar you could think of!

 

[moonbase]

What's the C Band and Ka Band performance like on a Laminas, is there anyone on the forum tested out reception with a Laminas 1.8m dish?

 

[Captain Jack]

@Feedsat_DXer will probably have some experience.

 

[Anonymous_1]

What's the C Band and Ka Band performance like on a Laminas, is there anyone on the forum tested out reception with a Laminas 1.8m dish?

@Feedsat_DXer will probably have some experience.

I have never tested the CM in Cband but this is probably the same as Laminas, this frequency band is not a big challenge to receive (excepted the size of the antenna of course)
For Ka band, according to my experience, I have better result with the Channel master (always the same feeds XMW) , the difference is not really important but it can make the difference for weak signal.
Most of my KA band scans are done with the CM .

 

[Archive4]

I´m sorry, went to weigh the Laminas dish, but the bathroom scales had died, probably due to overload by SWMBO.
Anyway, new 89mm poles have finally arrived and will be taking one to Dave to make a long term support. In the mean time I´m going to put one up on this, slightly unusual assembly, but as the 89 fits over a standard 80 Famaval mount it should work for tests.



May be a tad tall, but will take the neighbours house out of the equation!

 

[Archive4]

I´m sorry, went to weigh the Laminas dish, but the bathroom scales had died, probably due to overload by SWMBO.
Anyway, new 89mm poles have finally arrived and will be taking one to Dave to make a long term support. In the mean time I´m going to put one up on this, slightly unusual assembly, but as the 89 fits over a standard 80 Famaval mount it should work for tests.

View attachment 90975

May be a tad tall, but will take the neighbours house out of the equation!

It was too tall and unstable, so plan B now in operation,
taking my posts to installing dishes in spain thread to avoid polluting this one!

 

[Captain Jack]

Rare sun this morning allowed me to check where I am with the eastern sats. I've done this back in October but it wasn't easy to see the sun against foliage. Now that I have a temporary lash-up of Fibo 90 (Laminas will go there eventually), this makes it somewhat easier.

56e - trees and the neighbour's house blocks most of the dish.



53e - no houses in the way but certainly leafless tree branches will be an issue



Happily, no such issues on the side of the house - good for 1m dish.

 

[Captain Jack]

So... the plan.

We have nearly finished various bits and bobs in the house, including the cat room (conservatory). Just some final unpacking to do and we should mostly be done.

This *should* give me some time to work on the dish but not until April. Obviously, I can't do much during the week as I work - this weekend is out as well as I need to prepare for a business trip next week (so that's out too) and there's also mother's day to take care of. Then we are off on holiday until the end of March, which leaves April as the earliest starting point. And then there's the unpredictable British weather...

Never realised it would take this long to even get started

The main thing is digging a large enough hole and filling it with concrete for the base. Without a mixer, this probably won't be a very easy job - maybe I should get a truck to deliver some pre-mixed concrete? Will probably not cost much more than buying x number of bags from B&Q and mixing it myself.

I also need to be careful with hole digging, as it will be on the edge of a rhyne slope...

The Jumbo motor needs slight modifications to fit the Laminas (straight fit to the CM, though). I'll use the reenforced casing and mounting but will replace the *heavy* frame that holds the dish one with original plates. It would need modification anyway but declination control but that will probably not be done straight away.

Carry on...

 

[Lazarus]

I too have dreams ......

 

[purplemarina]

I also need to be careful with hole digging, as it will be on the edge of a rhyne slope...

If i am right this is a stream or ditch/drainage channel?? (Had to look this up)

 

[Captain Jack]

Yeah - to alleviate the potential flooding from the field behind the garden.

 

[Captain Jack]

Put the NPRM together today, not sure I'll need all the sections, considering the far end bit can only be as long as that.

 

[Archive4]

Hi CJ, having mounted mine, not sure I should write it quite that way, I have noticed several imperfections on the edge and face of the dish. Some kind of " bobbling " causing lumps on the face and rim. Does your dish have the same imperfections?